Shell white

Description

A rarely used white pigment made from ground seashells, eggshells or fish bones. Shell white is made by crushing, then boiling the shells. The Calcium carbonate powder is then pulverized and dried to form a very pure, white pigment. Shell white was used for watercolors, especially in Japan.

Synonyms and Related Terms

calcium carbonate; eggshell white; egg shell white; oyster shell white; oyster white (AAT); gofun (Jap.); k'o fên (Chin.); pearly white

Physical and Chemical Properties

• Reacts with acids to evolve carbon dioxide

Resources and Citations

• R. Gettens, E. West Fitzhugh, R.Feller, "Calcium Carbonate Whites", Artists Pigments, Vol. 2., A. Roy ed. Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1993.

• R.D. Harley, Artists' Pigments c. 1600-1835, Butterworth Scientific, London, 1982

• Dictionary of Building Preservation, Ward Bucher, ed., John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York City, 1996

• R.Feller, M.Curran, C.Bailie, 'Identification of Traditional Organic Colorants Employed in Japanese Prints and Determination of their Rates of Fading', Japanese Woodblock Prints, Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin College, Oberlin, 1984

• Art and Architecture Thesaurus Online, http://www.getty.edu/research/tools/vocabulary/aat/, J. Paul Getty Trust, Los Angeles, 2000